石しゃく神じん

also: いしがみ

Common wordFreq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

sacred stone; stone deity

Refers to a stone that is worshipped as a divine object or a stone image of a god, often found in Shinto or folk religion contexts.

村むらの入いり口ぐちに古ふるい石しゃく神じんが祀まつられている。
An old sacred stone is enshrined at the entrance of the village.
この石しゃく神じんは五ご穀こく豊ほう穣じょうの神かみ様さまだと言いわれている。
This stone deity is said to be a god of abundant harvests.

Usage patterns

〈物もの〉を石しゃく神じんとして祀まつるto enshrine (an object) as a sacred stone deity
村むら人びとたちはその大おおきな岩いわを石しゃく神じんとして祀まつってきた。
The villagers have long enshrined that large rock as a stone deity.
〈場ば所しょ〉に石しゃく神じんがあるthere is a sacred stone deity at a place
この神じん社じゃの裏うら山やまに古ふるい石しゃく神じんがある。
There is an old stone deity on the hill behind this shrine.

Kanji

石stone
神gods, mind, soul

Related words

神しん体たい
神体 is the general term for any object that a deity is believed to inhabit, while 石神 specifically refers to a stone worshipped as a deity.
道どう祖そ神じん
道祖神 is a specific type of roadside guardian deity often represented by a stone marker, whereas 石神 is the broader term for any sacred or worshipped stone.

Don't confuse with

石せき仏ぶつ
石神 is a stone worshipped as a Shinto-style deity, while 石仏 is a carved stone image of a Buddha or bodhisattva in Buddhist tradition.

Counted with

基き
If referring to a mounted or installed sacred stone/deity object, 基 is more natural; otherwise 個.

Written forms

石神Usage100%
- しゃくじん
  Standard kanji spelling; the reading しゃくじん is the most common and is supported by news frequency data.
- いしがみ
  Alternate reading; less common but still encountered, especially in place names or traditional contexts.
いしがみ

Etymology

Compound of 石 (stone) and 神 (god). The reading しゃくじん is a Sino-Japanese on'yomi reading, while いしがみ is a native kun'yomi reading. Both refer to the same concept of a stone worshipped as a deity.